Reydrich

Greyhawk Character

Reydrich
Names and titles
Title(s):	Prince of Ahlissa (previously Herzog of South Province, then Graf of South Province)
General info
Occupation:	Mage
Home:	Zelradton
Alignment:	NE(LE)
Gender:	Male
Species:	Human
Ethnicity:	Oeridian
Class:	Wizard 15/Archmage 5
Dates
Age:	73
Birthdate:	525 CY
Death:	586 CY
Raised:	587 CY

Prince Reydrich of Ahlissa is a mage and noble of the former Great Kingdom and later of Ahlissa.

Description

Appearance

Reydrich is "a pencil-thin, 6 foot tall man with cropped steely gray hair and watery gray eyes. He limps fairly heavily, as his left leg is withered due to an old magical curse unable to be removed even a wish spell. His staff of power, a stout hornwood stave, is used to support himself as he walks." He never has been seen to smile, with deep lines on his frowning face as evidence, his expression frozen into one of seeming permanent disapproval and harsh judgment.

Personality

He is politically highly astute, and knows the value of nepotism in achieving his ends. He knows the factions and forces of Zelradton probably best of anyone in the city. "He is as hard as steel, holding to life and power with an utterly tenacious grip". He loves power and wants to extend it further, but is highly pragmatic.

Abilities

He has ringed himself around with magical protections, including unique spells and items of his own devising, in part against the wrath of a powerful greater baatezu.

Reydrich is presented with statistics in Ivid the Undying (1995), while he was still Graf of South Province, as a 19th level mage, with Int 18 and Wis 17.

Following this, Reydrich was described as a 20th level wizard in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000).

Later, in 2007, with the advent of the new "Archmage" prestige class, he was given stats still as a 20th level caster, but as a wizard 15/archmage 5 with the following stats:
Str 8, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 31, Wis 18, Cha 12
However, his base statistics were also given before racial adjustments, Hit Dice ability score increases, stat boosting items, and inherent bonuses gained through casting wish:
Str 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 10.

Equipment and possessions

Reydrich is known to have possessed black robes of the archmagi, a ring of protection +5, and a staff of power (a stout hornwood stave). The staff is a grisly item carved with gargoyle faces and leering visages, and rumored to need blood to recharge it. He also has worn a cloak of displacement, and a ring of counterspells, in addition to using various scrolls, potions, and wands.

Home

Reydrich resides in the realm he rules, at the capital of the Principality of Ahlissa, Zelradton. He lives in a majestic tower built within a year beginning in 584 CY, which is 140' high and rumored to have extensive dungeons. It apparently involved magical aid in its construction, as even the slaves, dwarves, and a trio of stone giants recruited from an unknown place that worked on it could not have completed it so quickly. Reydrich made sure visiting princes saw dergholoths at work inside the place, and that more powerful fiends allies were available.

History

Reydrich was born in about 525 CY into House Naelax of the Great Kingdom. His ancestors are steeped in the history of the land, and he can trace his family line back more than 400 years to grim mages like Reynevar the Snakeheaded and Allreynen the Gripper. He possesses tomes filled with genealogies and histories of all the princes of Ahlissa.

Reydrich served as court mage to the Chelors for 19 years (from about 564 CY), in their role as the Herzog of South Province. During the Greyhawk Wars Chelor III was Herzog. Prior to the Wars the South Province built up a powerful standing army, and threatened the Iron League. The armies did not readily march to war against Nyrond when war broke out, and suffered humiliating defeats with the unexpected invasion by Almor under the leadership of Osson in 583 CY. Chelor begged his cousin Ivid V for aid, and these forces arrived too late to help, but detained the Herzog and most of his senior advisers who were taken to Rauxes and executed as punishment for his dithering. Most of House Naelex-Selor were killed by Ivid's executioners or assassins.

Reydrich was an adviser and archmage to Chelor at the time, as well as a prince of House Naelex. He denounced Chelor to Ivid, and saved himself as a result. With his brother (Fleet Admiral Llarnen) being an admiral of the Prymp fleet, and Ivid also being insane, Reydrich was declared ruler of South Province as the only major Ahlissan noble not obviously conspiring against Ivid. Reydrich quickly consolidated his position by eliminating Chelor's previous supporters, many of whom were rumored to have been sent to Rauxes to suffer the Endless Death (but most were actually executed by Reydrich). He made himself undisputed head of House Naelex in Ahlissa, and spread fear amongst the nobles of the province due to clearly having the ear of Ivid. He gained the support of the military generals and commanders of Ahlissa, and made it know that he (like Ivid) had dealings with fiends.

In the years following the Wars Reydrich remained firmly in control, with none offering serious opposition. He was content being secure as Herzog, with Ahlissa being fertile and fair fief, and he had no designs on taking the Malachite Throne for himself. Reydrich resurrected the archaic title of Graf, and assumed it in place of the previous title of Herzog. However, many petty princes were quietly carving up small portions of Ahlissa, fighting each other and making quiet alliances with foreigners. Many of House Darmen princes west of the Thelly River quietly advised Xavener that they would support him in return for expanded landholdings in Ahlissa. Reydrich generally did not execute those who opposed him, considering them often more useful as hostages or ransom held in Ker Bazainn.

In 585 CY Reydrich was sending sorely needed support in the form of weapons and funds to Prince Carwend of Rel Deven, as a method of protecting himself against Duke Szeffrin in Almor by shoring up the lands to the north east of him as a buffer. He was also building the Grayflood Keeps as a fall-back defensive line along the Grayflood River after abandoning the lands between the Grayflood and the Rieuwood as too hard to defend. He was concerned by the sporadic piratical war with Nyrond, as it required help for local rulers to build defensive walls which he was reluctant to provide. He sought an alliance with the dwarves of Irongate with offers of food exports, as he feared being vulnerable to the lands held by the Scarlet Brotherhood even if their fleet in Onnwal had not menaced South Province and he had found no spies of theirs in his lands.

Reydrich was hampered by the loss of his fiendish allies and servants due to the use of the Crook of Rao and the consequent Flight of Fiends. However, he enlarged South Province. It was believed by means of spells, enchanted assassins and a network of spies (some extra-planar) he was able to identify and slay many of the Scarlet Brotherhood's commanders in Onnwal and Idee. The powerful South Province army invaded into Idee in late 586 CY conquering the northern part. Plans to invade Onnwal were delayed by bad weather and heavy fighting in Idee. Reydrich told one of his generals to be prepared to ride to the Tilvanot Peninsula by the year's end. The general returned to Reydrich's quarters later that day to find him dead, apparently slain while casting another spell against the Brotherhood's leadership with the assassins never found, and fled to Nyrond to tell his tale.

Tyrum, a Suel arcanamach and member of the Scarlet Brotherhood, was later credited with the assassination

In 587 CY the three surviving members of the Ahlissan oligarchy were to be appointed princes and put in charge of the Principality of Ahlissa by the new Overking Xavener as part of the formation of the new Kingfom of Ahlissa. However, Graf Reydrich reappeared at the royal ceremony of investiture in Zelradton demanding he retain control of "his" Ahlissa, but giving no explanation of where he had been or how he had returned from the dead (and none dared seek it). The three oligarchs abandoned their claims, and given titles and lands far removed from Ahlissa at their request. Reydrich was named a Prince of the realm and given control of the Principality of Ahlissa, and made a royal advisor on magic. It was rumored the Overking made certain demands in return for the rulership granted, and Reydrich agreed despite being in a fury over them.

In 591 CY Reydrich was the provincial ruler of the Principality of Ahlissa within the Kingdom of Ahlissa.

Relationships

Enemies

Reydrich greatly feared the Scarlet Brotherhood, leading him to build the strength of Ker Bazainn. In 585 CY he was suspicious of Karnquiza, the inquisitioner of Zeraldtron, mainly due to the power he held. Hr surrounded him with his own relatives as understudies and assistants to monitor him. One of Reydrich's cousin's was appointed the city's assistant head jailer, and his nephew Tarannis appointed as a liaison between the army and Karnquiza in his intelligence-gathering role

Reydrich has a special hatred of the Circle of Eight and Mordenkainen. In 560 CY he "pleaded with Mordenkainen to become a member of the Circle of Eight. The rejection did not overly surprise him, but the manner of it did; Mordenkainen let it be known that one who relied so much on compulsion and servitude was no true mage, for such acts are a substitute for true magical prowess and understanding. Reydrich took the insult badly indeed, and if given any way of stymieing the Circle, he would certainly do so."

The Circle of Eight was greatly disturbed at Reydrich’s reappearance in 586 CY, given his known ill will toward the Circle for unrevealed reasons.((csb|TAB|26}}

Allies and minions

His brother is Fleet Admiral Llarnen, an admiral of the Prymp fleet, for whom he had made a bowl commanding of water elementals.

Reydrich maintains a network of watchful spies. He deals with fiends, primarily baatezu summoned from the Hells, but has no formal pacts instead using magical compulsion and threats to force service. It is a dangerous practice resulting in Reydrich surrounding himself with powerful magical protections.

Tarrak was previously his apprentice and concubine, but by 585 CY she had left these roles to make her home at Ker Bazainn.

External links

• Prestige Class: Archmage—including stats and brief profile for Reydrich. (archived from Wizards.com).

References

Bibliography

• Broadhurst, Creighton. Prestige Class: Suel Arcanamach. Wizards.com. WotC, 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved on 2 May 2023.
• Prestige Class: Archmage. Wizards.com. WotC , 30 January 2007. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved on 2 May 2023.
• Sargent, Carl. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Published online. PDF by William Allman with maps. Original RTF archived:Wizards.com. WGR7 or WGRx

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic	Type	Description	Product	Page/Card/Image
Reydrich (Graf) (Prince)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [3e M20],	From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess	27
Reydrich (Graf) (Prince)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [3e M20],	Ivid the Undying	128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 138, 153, 155
Reydrich (Graf) (Prince)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [3e M20],	Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e	27, 109
Reydrich (Graf) (Prince)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [3e M20],	Living Greyhawk Gazetteer	22
Reydrich (Graf) (Prince)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [3e M20],	Player's Guide to Greyhawk	12
Reydrich (Graf) (Prince)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [3e M20],	The Adventure Begins	24-26, 28
Reydrich (Graf) (Prince)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [3e M20],	The Scarlet Brotherhood	6, 18, 24
Reydrich Sharn	Non-player character		Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e	Dis